Class of ’86 – Benz Patent-Motorwagen replica

Thinking outside the box for this week’s entry in the Class of 1986, let’s take a look at a vehicle built that year, but not for use on public roads, not for mass consumption, and certainly not to showcase exciting new technologies or advances in automotive construction.

As we’re well aware from the celebrations of Mercedes-Benz’s 125th anniversary this year, 1986 marked the centennial of Karl Benz’s patent for what many consider to be the first practical automobile. Funded by his wife Bertha, Benz paired a 3/4 horsepower horizontal single-cylinder naptha-fueled internal-combustion engine to a tube-framed, three-wheeled, tiller-steered chassis of his own design and commenced to make history. For the centennial of that momentous occasion, John Bentley and Sons Engineering in England built a number of fully operable full-size replicas of the Patent-Motorwagen, then proceeded to build the replicas for the next 11 years or so, eventually building some for Mercedes-Benz itself.

It’s debatable whether the Bentley replicas of the Patent-Motorwagen can even be considered automobiles in their own right rather than decor for museums and collections (such as our own museum here at Hemmings, which features the Patent-Motorwagen shown here). They certainly wouldn’t make for good commuter cars, and few have any significant number of miles on them. However, they are no mere static, non-functioning fixtures, and they continue to trade hands at major auctions alongside the various progeny of their prototype.

So what say you: Would you add one to your garage dedicated to 1986 vehicles? Or would you rather own a 1986 vehicle that wasn’t intentionally built as a throwback to 19th century technology?

September 2, 2011 11:28 am

Michael Seidemannsays:

February 3, 2012 10:11 am

Richard Stewartsays:

July 22, 2015 6:11 pm

John Bentley Engineering built them, If you really want one, Gooding & Co. will be auctioning one off at Pebble Beach in August. They claim it’s the first delivered, and it went straight into the Matsuda collection in Japan. The Gooding estimate is $90,000 – $120,000.http://goodingco.com/vehicle/1886-benz-patent-motorwagen-replica-2/